Lap boards



7 High wnvabxwanig l m w J. M. WEBSTER LAP BOARDS Filgd July 23, 1963Sept. 8, 1964 lil ll FIG. 2

INVENTOR. JAMESMWEBSTER ATTORNEY United States Patent "ice 3,147,949 LAPBOARDS James M. Webster, 31 Old Stamford Road, New Canaan, Conn. FiledJuly 23, 1963, Ser. No. 297,144 1 Claim. (Cl. 248-463) The presentinvention relates to so-called lap-boards, having a wide range of usesin various circumstances. A lap-board may be used as a book rest orsupport, for holding an open book in a convenient position for reading.The lap-board may similarly be used as a small writing table, and formany other purposes. The user may be reclining as in a bed, or he may beseated.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel lap-boardhaving a support that holds the main panel at a comfortable angle, butwhich may be folded flat for use in that condition or for storage whennot in use.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a lap-board thathas a collapsible stand or support that is of low-cost construction,that is attractive in appearance, and that involves parts which are heldtogether both when the supporting means is collapsed and when it iserected, without resort to separate pieces that are apt to be lost.

A still further feature of the invention resides in the provision of alap-board having a collapsible stand, wherein the collapsible support,when erected, has curved or arched parts whose contour and position areparticularly effective in adapting the lap-board to rest comfortably andwith stability on the knee of the user, as when his legs are crossed.

In achieving all of the above objects and features, there is disclosedbelow a presently preferred embodiment of the invention having a mainpanel, and having a collapsible support that comprises a pair of broadand resilient elements each having one end secured to the back of thepanel near its lower edge. The opposite ends of the resilient elementsare secured to a bar that affords stiffening and fixed spacing of theelements across their ends; and

a U-shaped strut is pivoted to this bar. A fixed stop is provided at therear of the main panel for cooperation with the strut in its erectattitude. The combined or extended length of one resilient member plus aleg of the U exceeds the space between the stop and the bottom portionof the main panel where the resilient members are supported.Accordingly, the U-shaped member and the resilient elements form aroughly triangular strand when the bottom part of the U is forced intoposition against the stop. In this condition, the resilient elements(which are widely separated from each other) form an arched pair thatare well suited to rest with stability on the knee of a user whose legsare crossed.

The strut is held in its erect position by the resilience of the pairedelements, thus requiring only a quick and easy motion of snapping thebottom of the U against the stop for setting-up the lap-board stand.This resilient cooperation of the strut and the stop is readily releasedfor collapsing the stand. When released, the resilient elements springclose to the main panel, and the U-shaped strut can also be swung closeto the back of the main panel. The lap-board with its stand in collapsedcondition thus consists of parts that are articulated and always heldtogether and available for erection, yet which can be collapsed readilyfor compact storage. The length of each resilient element and the lengthof each leg of the U-shaped strut are individually shorter than thepanel and thus, when the strut is swung back against the resilientelements, the parts of the stand do not project but are confinedcompactly within the area of the main panel.

The nature of the invention including the foregoing and further featuresand objects, will be better appreciated 3,147,949 Patented Sept. 8, 1964from the following detailed description of the illustrative embodimentwhich is shown in the annexed drawing forming a part of this disclosure.In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the novel illustrative lap-board,including a view of its user in broken lines, illustrating aparticularly effective mode of use;

FIGURE 2 is a bottom view of the lap-board with its stand in collapsedcondition, one part of the stand being shown in solid lines in thenormal configuration of the parts for storage and the same partappearing in broken lines to illustrate the preferred proportion of theparts;

FIGURE 3 is a lateral View of the lap-board when collapsed, as shown inFIG. 2;

FIGURE 4 is a lateral view of the lap-board of FIG. 2, with its standerected; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section of certain parts asviewed at the line 55 in FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, the illustrative lapboard includes a mainpanel 10 as of plywood, to the front of which there is secured a bar 12.This bar prevents sliding of a book, sheet of paper, pencil and the likethat may be supported on the inclined main panel in the erect attitudeof FIG. 4.

Along the lower edge of the panel 10 there is a channel 14 as of wood. Apair of broad and long resilient elements 16 have their lower endssecured flat against the rear of the panel, suitably by glue and screws.Elements 16 advantageously are of thin resilient processed wood,laminated for strength and resilience, and may be called leaf-springelements. Bar 18 is grooved so as to form a channel that receives theupper ends of elements 16 which are secured in place as by glue. Arectangular member 20 formed as of metal rod of round cross-section hasin-turned end portions 22 that are pivotally confined between the upperends of elements 16 and the groove in bar 18. Legs 24 extend fromportions 22, and legs 24 are interconnected by a transverse portion 26that is integral with the legs. A strip 28 as of wood is joined to therear of panel 10, conveniently with glue.

Strip 28 forms a stop that arrests the transverse portion 26 ofgenerally U-shaped member 20 that includes legs 24 and portion 26 asshown in FIGURE 4. Resilience of elements 16 biases and thus resilientlyretains member 20 into that position. In their stressed condition,resilient strips 16 are curved or arched. Because of this shape andtheir lateral separation, they are particularly suited to rest on andconform comfortably to the crossed legs of a seated person using thelap-board, as shown in FIGURE 1. The extended length of elements 16 and20 (designated 20' in its extended position in FIGURE 2) is greater thanthe space between the lower end of panel 10 where elements 16 arefastened and the upper rear of panel 10 where stop 28 is located, thisproportion producing the generally triangular erected assembly shown inFIGURE 4. Member 20 constitutes a supporting generally U- shaped strut,and members 16 and 20 constitute a collapsible, articulated stand.

In the collapsed condition of the stand (FIGURE 2), members 16 and 20fold flat against the rear of panel 10, and actually fit into the spaceafforded by members 14 and 28. When the stand is collapsed, thelap-board can be used as a drafting board and can rest on a table,supported by bars 14 and 18. There is no interference from thearticulated parts of the stand, which are thus constantly available forerecting the lap-board. In the collapsed condition of the stand, thelap-board can be stored compactly and it may be compactly contained in ashipping carton without requiring the person who receives it to assembleseparate, loose parts.

The described lap-board shown in the accompanying drawings is readilyerected or collapsed, as the user may desire, and it is very flexible inits range of applications as explained above. Variation in matters ofdetail will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.Consequently, the invention should be accorded a latitude ofinterpretation, consistent with its full spirit and scope.

What is claimed is:

A lap-board having a generally rectangular panel and erecting meanstherefor, including a stop member on the rear of the panel spaced upwardfrom the bottom edge thereof and formed to provide a downward-directedrecess, a pair of laterally spaced elongated members each having one endthereof secured to the panel at the rear and adjacent the bottom thereofand being resiliently biased normally against the rear of the panel, atransverse bar fixed to the ends of said spaced elongated members remotefrom said secured ends thereof, and a U-shaped support having atransverse part and a pair of legs interconnected by the transversepart, the ends of the U-shaped support being pivoted to said transversebar and the extended length of said support plus one said elongatedmember being greater than the distance between said stop member and saidfixed ends of said elongated members, whereby said U-shaped support andsaid elongated members may be erected as a stand by forcibly disposingsaid transverse part of the U-shaped member in the downwardly-directedrecess provided by said stop member, and said U-shaped member beingproportioned to lie substantially within the outline of said panel whenswung against the panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS706,228 Fleming Aug. 5, 1902 1,580,344- Stillians Apr. 13, 19262,173,379 Smith Sept. 19, 1939 2,826,857 Saunders Mar. 18, 19582,842,416 Davock July 8, 1958

